Tossing Up: Letting Go
by nIGHTSrAVEN47
Summary: We all know Mark Jenisen, the hapless drummer who got himself signed onto the color guard of the Thompson marching band. But now the school year is starting, and even with Anali now at his side, there are still many problems holding him back.


Note : Hey, everyone! What is up? Ready for part two of the Tossing Up series? Of course you are! Things are gonna be a little different now, because in part two, we'll here the next leg of the story told from the point of view of our leading lady, Anali! I'm still working on it, but I may have this part of the story told on and off between Mark and Anali, to get the full effect of it. Just make sure to pay attention, because knowing my screwy way of writing, you may become lost. I'll try not be too confusing.

Another Note: Anali's family is based of my own--we're just as comical and dysfunctional--so I know what I'm talking about with them. I'm Jewish myself, so don't take anything I say about the way they act to heart. We all joke about ourselves once in a while, so get a sense of humor, by george.

---Part Two: Letting Go---

Chapter One: Box of Chocolates, A.K.A. Welcome Back

When I was a kid, my dad told me that life is just a box of chocolates, and everyone was a different kind. My brother was peanut butter, rich and creamy, but kind of hard to get out of…well, anything. My mom was coffee flavored, sweet with the right kind of sweetener. My dad was chocolate in chocolate, simple, but a flavor everyone loves anyway because it was just the basics. When I asked my dad what I was, he just laughed and said I'd figure it out one day, but that most likely, I was caramel in the middle; I was sticky and sweet, messy to deal with, and only liked by certain people. Anali the oddball.

Since I entered high school, everyone got a different kind of chocolate. My best friend Iza--her full name is Eliza, but she doesn't like it, so now it's just Iza--is white chocolate, rich and sweet but original in a way that everyone notices once you get a taste. Jessie is cocanut, strange to look at and a bit of a required taste, but still pretty cool. Tyler is dark chocolate, appearing rich and sophisticated, but really just bitter and hard to handle for most people...me being one of them, unfortunately. And then, there's lime. Well, I guess now he's my lime; Y'know, you think he'll be sour and tangly, like lemon, but turns around and surprises you, being sweet and great.

My lime Mark.

Oh jeez, how corny do I sound?

"It's not corny, just...y'know...ok, fine, maybe a little corny," Mark, said, chuckling at me as I hit him lightly on the arm.

"Yeah, but it is true," I said, pushing the double swing we were sitting on with my foot, setting it swinging lightly again.

"I think you're the only person I know who could attribute people to candy," He said, smirking at me as he nudged my knee with his.

"I see life as sweet," I said, grinning at him. He chuckled again, leaning his chin on the top of my head.

"Exactly why I like you..." He said, lightly rubbing my back with his hand. I shivered a little, then relaxed, leaning against him. "Like that?"

"Mm-hmm..."

"Jeez, you're like a cat: Run you in the right places and you just slump over."

"Do you realize how dirty that could sound?"

"Do you realize how in the gutter your mind is?"

I laughed a little, nuzzling against him. I had never really had a chance to do this before, snuggle with a boy without caring if I was going to scare him away or something. Even with my last boyfriend, I had never been comfortable enough to do that. But now, strangely, I was.

"An-a-li! Ma-ark! Come on, dinner's ready!"

Even stranger was where we were at the moment: New Jersey. Specifically, my grandparents' house. Since going to my grandparents house is equivalent to get a root canal, I wasn't going to go alone. Marching band was on histus for the week, since school started next week and they wanted to give us a break--oh, how I laugh at that--before we started practicing at school. During this time, I actually got a taste of what it was like being in a relationship with someone you really like, and actually enjoying being in said relationship. So, after about six days, three of these days just practicing with the band, I felt that it was time I drag him to a family gathering to keep me company...and sane.

See, here's the thing about my family: We're Jews, plain and simple. My dad's side of the family got the crazy and rich part--my uncle was a doctor, and that pretty much covered all of them, with my one cousin in Duke and my other in boarding school--while my mom's side got...complaints. Pretty much, if even the tiniest thing went wrong, they complained about it. Enough to drive anyone insane. If anyone had to spend too much time with them, they'd understand why I'm so weird. And loud. Growing up, if you wanted to be heard in my family, you had to be loud enough to be heard over everyone else. Survival of the loudest.

As we got up off of the swing, Mark balancing me a little as I almost fell over, due to characteristic clumsiness, my grandma stood in the doorway a little longer than she needed, trying to not look like seeing her only grand-daughter--on her side of the family, at least--bringing a boy over like this for the first time in what was probably a little over a decade was the greatest thing in the world. My grandpa was acting the same way, with just a bit of the expected overprotectiveness. Guess they were just glad that I was able to be civil enough to actually attract a boy. That, or they had been starting to think that I was a lesbian or something. Either way, their excitement was a bit unnerving. Like I had finally done something normal and expected for the first time.

We made our way back into the house, and dinner went as it always did: Way too much food, and suspicious glances when you don't eat all of it. Like suddenly I was an anorexic because I only had one piece of chicken instead of three. I tried to tell Mark that he could refuse the food given to him, but I think the guilt my grandma was sending over to us got to him, and by the end of the meal, he looked ready to explode. Thankfully, my mom noticed as well, and found an excuse to get us to leave home before dessert was forced on us as well. Yup, all in all, another family visit successfully ended early.

One we got back home--after enduring my brother's annoying murmured comments about being "lovey-dovey" from the front seat, earning the back of his seat a few kicks--me and Mark sat outside, watching the slightly late afternoon sun start to go down. School would start in about a week, and it was just good to enjoy the rest of the summer while we still could, before everything got hectic. Before I had to face life again, the one before Mark had come and made everything better.

_Vrrr..._

I closed my eyes for a moment as I heard the lawn mower pass our house. Speaking of myh previous life...damnit, I knew the rider of said mower probably wouldn't even bother looking over here, but I still felt awkward. I was probably holding my breath as I waited for the damned machine to pass by, when Mark touched my shoulder, immediately pulling me back to the real world, like I had just been pulled back up for air.

"Hey, you ok? You looked kind of pale..." Mark said, and I could see the worry in his eyes. I swallowd hard, suddenly feeling guilty, nodding a little. This is what I needed. A good, sweet boyfriend to keep me in check. Why did I need more? I didn't.

I shook my head, smiling at him, before leaning up and kissing him, and I could almost convince myself I tasted the lime on his lips. "Nothing. Everything's perfect."

And it was. It had to be. Cause if it wasn't, then there was something terribly wrong with me.

Alright, that's the first chapter of part two! I know it's kind of short, but I was just trying to get the story started by making a short intro. Hope you enjoyed it, though.


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